Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Domestic abuse is sadly all too common in society and not enough is being done to prevent abuse and support victims. While domestic violence is more commonly perpetrated by male abusers, it can also be committed by women. The domestic violence prevention programme, Choices, only accepts male abusers. There is currently no facility or programme for female abusers. This is deeply concerning and I would like to know the rationale behind it. Abuse committed by female abusers is a serious issue and it must be taken as seriously as abuse committed by men. Survivors of female abusers can often face stigma due to the violence not fitting into society's understanding and general norms. At least one in seven men in Ireland experiences domestic abuse in his lifetime but less than 1% of the budget for domestic abuse goes to support for male survivors.

Today, I spoke with Men's Aid, the national charity that supports men and their families who experience domestic violence and coercive control. It receives up to 27 calls a day from men. In the first quarter of the year, it received 1,644 calls for help. These calls come from men from every conceivable walk of life, including carpenters, CEOs, GPs, civil servants, men living on the margins, homeless men and suicidal men. It is disgraceful that Men's Aid is not funded to provide the freefone service. We have a duty as a society to support all victims of domestic abuse. Every victim deserves to be believed and supported. For example, if a man has to leave the family home, there are no supports available and the children often remain with the abuser. Unless this changes, it is very difficult for men to go from being victims of domestic abuse and coercive control to being survivors of domestic abuse and coercive control.

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